Jasmin Stowers facts for kids

Jasmin Stowers competing in 2015

Jasmin Marie Stowers (born September 23, 1991) is a former American track and field athlete. She was known for competing in the 100-meter hurdles race. Her fastest time in this event was 12.35 seconds, which she achieved in 2015. This amazing time placed her among the top 15 fastest hurdlers in the world at that time.

Jasmin Stowers competed for Louisiana State University (LSU) during her college years. In 2014, she was the runner-up in the outdoor NCAA championships. She also became the American indoor champion in the 60-meter hurdles in 2015. Jasmin represented the United States at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics. She announced her retirement from the sport in October 2020.

Early Life and High School Success

Jasmin Stowers grew up in Pendleton, South Carolina. Her parents are Ronald and Gena Stowers. She attended Pendleton High School. Jasmin was a very good student and was on the academic honor roll for five years. She also served as the president of the National Honor Society at her school.

Jasmin started competing in track and field while in high school. She made her first international appearance at just 15 years old. This was at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics. She ran her fastest time of 13.52 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles qualifiers. In the final, she finished fourth in the youth event. That same year, she placed third in the 60-meter hurdles at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

In 2008, Jasmin became well-known at the national level. She won the Nike Outdoor Nationals and took second place at the USATF Junior Olympics. By 2009, she was ranked as the number one high school athlete. She won the Nike Outdoor Nationals again with a time of 13.59 seconds. She also won the Junior Olympics and Nike Indoor Nationals titles that year.

College Track and Field Career

Jasmin Stowers received a scholarship to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2010. She studied Nutrition and Food Science there. She joined the LSU Lady Tigers track and field team. In her first big college competition, she finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Women's Track and Field Championships. She set a new personal best time of 8.12 seconds.

She won both the indoor and outdoor titles in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). She set a personal best of 12.88 seconds in the outdoor meet. Jasmin also won at the Penn Relays. She reached the quarterfinals at the NCAA Outdoor Women's Track and Field Championships. She also competed at the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, reaching the semi-finals.

Continuing Success at LSU

In her second year at LSU, Jasmin won both her SEC titles again. She was a finalist in both indoor and outdoor NCAA competitions. She won the Penn Relays for the second year in a row. She ended the year with a best time of 12.92 seconds for the 100-meter hurdles. She was also recognized on the SEC Academic Honor Roll for her focus on studies. At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, she reached the semi-finals.

In 2013, she won her SEC indoor title for a third time. She was only the second person from Louisiana to do this, after Lolo Jones. She was again an NCAA finalist both indoors and outdoors. She finished third in the 60-meter hurdles indoors. She had a hamstring injury during the middle of the year. This contributed to her not winning the SEC Outdoor Championships. She was again on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2013.

Final College Year Achievements

In her fourth and final college year, Jasmin Stowers placed among the top three in NCAA competitions. At the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships, she set a school record of 7.94 seconds. She took third place in a very close race. The top three runners, including Sharika Nelvis and Tiffani McReynolds, all finished within one hundredth of a second of each other.

The 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships had similar results. Jasmin finished in 12.54 seconds to place second, just behind Sharika Nelvis. She was also second to Kendra Harrison in SEC competition, both indoors and outdoors. Her third win at the Penn Relays made her the first woman to achieve that. She ended her college year strongly at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She set a personal record of 12.71 seconds in the qualifying round. She then finished fourth in the final, her highest senior national ranking.

Jasmin finished her college career with five SEC titles. She also earned seven All-American honors in NCAA competitions.

Professional Career Highlights

Jasmin Stowers started her professional career very strongly. She won a national title at the 2015 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. Her winning time of 7.84 seconds was a tenth of a second faster than her previous best for the 60-meter hurdles.

Now focusing only on hurdling, she saw great results at the Drake Relays. She moved up to twelfth on the all-time lists with a new personal record of 12.40 seconds. This was three tenths faster than she had ever run before. She also beat former Olympic champion Dawn Harper-Nelson and world champion Brianna Rollins in that race. She improved her time even more at the Jamaica International Invitational, setting a meeting record of 12.39 seconds.

Her first appearance on the 2015 IAAF Diamond League circuit showed she was an elite international athlete. She won the Doha Diamond League meeting with a series record time of 12.35 seconds. This moved her up to seventh on the all-time rankings for the 100-meter hurdles. In October 2020, Jasmin Stowers announced her retirement. She explained that an ongoing spinal injury made it very difficult for her to train and compete at the highest level.

Personal Best Times

• 100-meter hurdles – 12.35 seconds (2015)
• 60-meter hurdles – 7.84 seconds (2015)

National Titles Won

• USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
  • 60-meter hurdles: 2015

International Competitions